Geosciences 195, Introduction to Fossil Fuels
Spring Semester, 2009
Instructor: James R. Staub, Professor
Class Dates & Location: Spring Semester
Department of Geosciences
2009; the online course runs from January 26
CHCB 368
to May 15. It is taught online, through
The University of Montana
Blackboard (http://courseware.umt.edu).
Missoula, MT 59812
Contact Information:
Phone: 406.243.4953
Email: james.staub@umontana.edu
Tech Support:
UMOnline: 406.243.6367; coursewaresupport@umontana.edu; or
http://umonline.umt.edu
Office Hours: By appointment on campus or
via phone or email. Responses will normally
be within 24 hours during the period from 8
AM Monday to 5 PM Friday.
Please note: If you have a question about
fossil fuels, the course, course content or this
syllabus post it to the General Discussion
forum on the Discussion Board of the course
site so all can benefit. Thanks.
Course Overview: You will be provided with a broad introduction to the basic principles and
concepts related to the composition of, the exploration for, and the utilization of fossil fuels
(coal, coal bed methane, natural gas, and oil). In addition, environmental issues related to fossil
fuel development and utilization will be addressed. To be successful in this course you will
need to actively participate on a weekly basis.
Students who are interested in expanding their knowledge on the nature, occurrence, and uses
of fossil fuels should take this course as well as students who are interested in employment in
the energy industry.
Prerequisite Skills and Knowledge: While there are no prerequisites, a basic understanding of
chemistry, physics, and mathematics (through algebra) would be very helpful. An introduction
to geologic fundamentals is included as part of this course. For students with previous geologic
experience the fundamentals section should represent a review and/or refresher; for those
with no previous geologic experience it should serve as a starting point.
Relevance: We use fossil fuels every day. Understanding how we use them; their origins,
compositions, and occurrences; their production and the technologies used to produce them;
and the environmental consequences of their use is required knowledge if we are to make
informed decisions regarding national and global energy and environmental policy issues that
confront us.
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Expected Learning Outcomes:
Learning Unit
Introduction to Fossil Fuels – overview of issues
concerning coal and petroleum use as well as
resource availability. Initial familiarity with a
nucleus of fossil fuel web sites.
Geologic Principles – basic understanding of
geologic principles and concepts that are used
to locate and develop fossil fuels.
Sedimentary Basins – how sedimentary basins
form, the nature of sediment fill packages
contained, and processes that occur in the
subsurface.
Fossil Fuel Origins and Chemistry – chemical
composition of different types of fossil fuels and
how they are formed.
Petroleum Accumulation – how sedimentary
basins become petroleum provinces.
Petroleum Reservoir Depositional Environments
– knowledge of sandstone and limestone
reservoir types and an understanding of how
the environment of deposition controls
reservoir geometry.
Coal – knowledge of coal depositional
environments and coal use.
Coal Bed Methane – the nature of occurrence of
coal bed methane and how CBM reservoirs
differ from ”conventional” natural gas
reservoirs.
Exploration – the types of methods and
technologies used in the exploration for fossil
fuels.
Environmental Issues – an introduction to the
environmental issues associated with the use of
fossil fuels. Demonstrated knowledge of how to
use the internet to find information about and
analyze fossil fuel environmental issues.
Assessment Methods
Discussion board participation.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation. Written
responses to review questions.
Discussion board participation.
Participation Expectations as well as Discussion and Assignment Due Dates: This course is
composed of 10 Learning Units with the time spent on each unit ranging from one to three
weeks (the final unit is the exception). As part of each Learning Unit there is a discussion of the
reading materials and an assignment with questions to answer. The discussion on each
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Learning Unit will end at 4 PM Mountain Time on the Friday that the Learning Unit is to be
completed (see dates below) with the exception of Environmental Issues which will end at 4 PM
MT Wednesday, May 13. The assignment for each Learning Unit must be completed by 10 PM
MT on Sunday of the same week that the discussion ends (see dates below). In general, the
purpose of most discussions is for you to relate to all class participants what you found
interesting as well as what you found difficult to understand in the Learning Unit materials. The
final discussion on Environmental Issues will require you to do research on the web regarding
the "downstream" sector of the petroleum industry and share your results with all participants.
The assignments consist of a series of review questions on each subject area that will require
you to think about the reading materials independently in order to respond. All discussions
initiated by me as well as the assignments are graded. While the majority of your grade will be
based on the assignments, a substantial part (35%) will result from the discussions, so it is
essential that you participate.
Course Schedule and Exercise Point Totals:
Learning Unit
Date
Assigned
Discussion Review
Board
Assignment
Close or Due
Date
Introduction to Fossil Fuels
Introduction to Fossil Fuels
Geologic Principles
Geologic Principles
Sedimentary Basins
Sedimentary Basins
Fossil Fuel Origins and Chemistry
Fossil Fuel Origins and Chemistry
Petroleum Accumulation
Petroleum Accumulation
Petroleum Reservoir Depositional Environ.
Petroleum Reservoir Depositional Environ.
Coal
Coal
Coal Bed Methane
Coal Bed Methane
Exploration
Exploration
Environmental Issues
Environmental Issues
January 26
20 pts
January 30
Point Totals
none
February 2
60 pts
300 pts
February 23
30 pts
50 pts
March 2
30 pts
March 9
20 pts
100 pts
100 pts
March 16
20 pts
March 23
50 pts
100 pts
200 pts
April 13
20 pts
50 pts
April 20
50 pts
200 pts
April 1
300 pts
February 20
February 22
February 27
March 1
March 6
March 8
March 13
March 15
March 20
March 22
April 10
April 12
April 17
April 19
May 1
May 3
May 13
none
600 pts
1,100 pts
1,700 pts
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A more detailed description of each topic listed above, the assigned reading materials from the
text materials, the PDF attachments, and links to the discussions and review questions are
found in the Learning Unit section of the course site.
The review assignments (found in the Assignments section of the course site) are timed
exercises consisting of a series of short essay questions. If the point total is 50 or 100 you will
have one hour to complete the exercise online, if it is 200 you will have two hours, and if it is
300 you will have three hours. In addition, you will be able to open the review file two times.
In other words you will be able to read the questions before you have to complete the exercise.
Hence, it is expected that your responses will be organized and well written. Points awarded
will be based on the appropriateness and accuracy of your responses.
In the discussions the number of topics/issues/concepts that are necessary to be raised by you
for credit is clearly stated for each forum (found in the Discussion Board section of the course
site). If you integrate information from the web in your posting make sure you state clearly the
source and the URL. Again it is expected that your postings during discussions will be organized
and written in appropriate English. Points awarded will be based on the appropriateness of the
topics/issues/concepts that you raise.
Timeliness: Participation in discussions is required during the time interval from when the
Learning Unit is assigned to the close date listed above. Completion of the assigned review
questions is also expected by the close date listed above for each Learning Unit. If you cannot
complete the review questions by the close date for a legitimate reason (e.g. illness) contact me
as soon as possible for a determination if a time extension is warranted.
Grading Scale: Your grade is based on the total number of points earned from your
participation in the discussions and your responses to the review questions. Grades on
individual exercises will normally be posted within 72 hours of the close or due date.
1700 – 1530
1529 – 1360
1359 - 1190
1189 – 1020
1019 or less
A
B
C
D
F
Course Text Materials: Two texts are required to complete this course. A third is suggested
reading (but not required) for anyone wanting to know more about fossil fuel sustainability
issues and environmental concerns. The issues addressed in the suggested reading are not
covered as part of this course.
Required
Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling, and Production, 2nd edition, by
Norman J. Hyne, Penn Well Corporation, 2001, ISBN 0-87814-823-X
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Atlas of Coal Geology, 1st edition, CD-ROM, AAPG Studies in Geology No. 45, edited by A.R.
Papp, J.C. Hower, and D.C. Peters, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1998, ISBN 089181-141-9
Suggested Reading
Sustainable Fossil Fuels, by Mark Jaccard, Cambridge University Press, 2005, ISBN 10 0-52186179-9
Student Conduct Code: Please be familiar with the UM Student Conduct Code. It outlines the
rights and responsibilities of students at The University of Montana. Being a student at UM
presupposes a commitment to the principles and policies embodied in the code. The Student
Conduct Code can be found on the Vice President for Student Affairs web site at
http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/name/StudentConductCode.
Course Accommodations (DDS): Students with disabilities will receive reasonable
accommodations in this course. To request course modifications, please contact me as soon as
possible. I will work with Disability Services in the accommodation process. For more
information, visit the Disability Services website at http://life.umt.edu/dss or call 406.243.2243
(Voice/Text).
Technical Requirements: Content in the Learning Units includes PDF files and external links. If
you don’t have the needed application on your computer hard drive, you can download plug-ins
from the UMOnline web site at http://umonline.umt.edu/StudentInfo/plugins.htm.
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